Box strapping tool



Oct. 15, 1940. H. c. DooLn'TLE 2,218,023

BOX STRAPPING TOOL Filed June 14, 1937 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q, u m

n@ wm. Q w T N E R. ,n J n WF. m L. 1 L n HOWARD C Oct. l5, 1940. H. c. DooLlT'rLE Box STRAPPING Toor..

'7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed' June 14. 1937 Home@ Y Q mw 0ct. 15, 1940. K H. C. DooLlTTLE Box STRAPPING TOOL Filed June` 14, 1937 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 .Sn mt v NNYN@ @N 011 15, 1940 H. c. Doom-'n.5

BoxJ STRAPPING TooL Filed June 14, 1937 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 H IN VEN TORv u @WA/QQQQ/TME Oct. l5, 1940. H. c. DooLlT-ruay BOX STRAPPING TOOL Filed June 14, 19a-7 7 sheets-sheet s 21mm HOI/mm? ooL/'TT/LEA Oct. l5,I 1940. H. c. Doom-'n.5

BOX STRAPPING TQOL Filed June 14. 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Q @LN g 1N VEN TOR. /VOWARg/OOLTTLE ATTORN S.

Patented oci. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 14, 1937, Serial No. v148,078

15 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool for tensioning metal straps about packages, boxes, or other articles, and for securing the overlappedends of the straps together inV tensioned relation.

'I'he aim of the invention is to provide an improved tool or machine by means of which straps may be more quickly tensioned with greaterfacility about boxes and the like and sealed with a minimum amount of eiort and fatigue, and to these ends I provide a very simple, compact, easily portable, sturdy,`and effective machine by means of which the strapsv mayl be very quickly tensioned to the desired degree and with relatively slight eifort; the tension 4is maintained during the sealing operation; the seals are' automatically fed to the overlapping strap ends without danger of jammingand without' any other action or attention on the part of the operator except that of moving the sealing instrumentality to sealing position; the strap about the box is automatically cut off from a supply reel or roll of strapping; and the seals and the strap ends within the seals aredeformed to provide a` positively locked joint; all of such operations being successively carried out with ease and facility. f

My improved machine, whichhas many features'of novelty and advantage, is relatively small, compact,and of light weight, and may be easily operated to apply binding straps about packages, boxes, and the like, under any desired tension. 'I'he machine is further provided with a magazine containinga multiplicity of stacked seals which are individually and successively fed to a sealing position and sealed about the overlappedfstrap ends after the unused portion of the straphas been cut off. My. machine may be easily operated by levers which are conveniently located and do not interfere with one another.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointedout more 'in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scopeof the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown, for illustrative purposes, one embodiment of the present invention and wherein like numerals indicate like parts: n

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention showing the various partsV f my mechanism in position at the start of astrap tensioning operation;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken from the opposite side of my machine and showing the position of the various parts when a binding strap has been tensioned about an article and before the ensuing sealing operation;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of my device with the tensioning parts in the positions shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the side of the machine shown in Fig. 1 and showing the position of the various parts at the completion of the sealing operation; l,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the magazine and showing the feed mechanism associated Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1,; f

Fig. 7 is a. front end view vofthe frame and parts taken substantially alongithe line .I--l of Fig. 1;` A

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a'view similar to Fig. 8 and showing the relative positions of the sealing lever and associated parts at theV start of the sealing operation;l ,l Y

' Fig. 10 is a section through the sealing mechanism taken along the line III-I0 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1,1 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line II-II of Fig. 4.;V

Fig. 11a is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 11 and taken along line IIa-Ila of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 .is a sectional view taken along the line I2I 2 of Fig. 1 and showing the tensioning mechanism; and l Fig. 13 is a fragmentary rear end view of my invention.

In accordance with my invention, I have provided a relatively light weight portable tool having a frame IIJ` supporting a strap, tensioningk mechanism manually operated by a tensioning lever I I and a strap sealing mechanism manually operated by a sealing lever I 2. 'Ihe sealing mechanism operates a shear to cut' off the tensioned or appliedvportion of the strap S from a supply coil just prior to the sealing operation and without releasing the tension. 'I'he numeral I3 designates a. magazine adaptedv to hold a stack of seal blanks kX, and Il refers, generally to a seal feeding mechanism for feeding the lowermost seal ,from themagazine to the sealing mechanism prior to each sealing operation.

'Ihe frame I0, which has .a substantiallyV at bottom face I Il supporting my tool on a box or other-article about .whichia strap is to be tensioned and sealed, has, betweenits ends, a laterally projecting foot I5 provided with a substantially flat strap supporting face I5'. A dos I6, which cooperates with the foot'to rigidly secure one end S of strap S to the frame during a binding and sealing operation, hasa laterally extending flange I1 overlying the foot and pro- `jecting from the lower end of an arm I8, from the upper end of which laterally extends a. cylindrical shank I8 journalled in a bore I9 of the frame, as shown in Fig. 1. Arm |8, which is angularly movable within a somewhat triangular shaped recess I8', has a curved upper end in mating slidable engagement with a curved upper end |8 of the recess forming a partial continuation of the surface of bore I9 to aid in receiving thrusts when the strap end S is gripped by the dog against the foot. The bottom `cf flange has a multiplicity of cooperating strap engaging teeth, and arm |8 is angularly disposed towards the forward end of the frame with reference to a, vertical plane through the axis of shanlrA |9 so that a slight clockwise rotation of dog I6, as

viewed in Fig. 1, will tend to move the dog intov tighter strap gripping engagement. 'I'he extreme outer end of the flange I1 has an upwardly projecting lip whereby there is provided on the upper surface of the ilange between the lip and the arm I8 a channel or groove I1 for receiving and guiding the other and upper strap end S. A spring 20 within recess I8 urges the dog into strap gripping engagement and cooperates with the tensioning operation so that any slipping of the strap end S' towards the rear of the frame during a tensioning operation will urgedog I6 downwardly into tighter strap gripping engagement. Frame I forwardly of foot |5 is provided with a recess 22 within which strap cutting and sealing operations are performed, as will be later described. A foot 23 extending laterally from the frame at the forward side of this recess supports the forward end of strap end S and has a shoulder 23' providing a stop to locate the strap end.

To aid in tensioning the strap about an article, there is provided a second dog 24 mounted on a movable head 2| and arranged to grip a portion of the other end S of strap S, and tension lever II is operatively connected to move this dog towards dog I6 to bring the strap into desired tensioned relation about the article being bound.

Dog 24, which is similar in operation to dog I6 but grips strap end S in opposed relation to strap end S, is angularly disposed rearwardly of a plane through the axis of a supporting shaft 25 uponwhich it ismounted at the upper end, as shown in Fig. l. Shaft 25 is mounted in head 2|, and the dog 24 has a rounded upperencl slidably engageable with a rounded overhanging iiange of head 2| to cooperate with shaft 25 in receiving thrusts imparted upon the dog during a strap gripping operation. The bottom of dog 24 has strap gripping teeth disposed above a strap supporting face 26 on a footi2|i` laterally projecting from head 2| and generally in the plane of face I so that the dog 24`Arnay swing downwardly into gripping engagement with the strap end S passing over face 26. A spring 2l mounted in head 2| engages dog24 and urges it into strap gripping position. The forward end of head 2| has a depending flange or lip 2| spaced from a shoulder` 2|" providing a channel or groove'2Ia (Fig. 7) cooperating with channel 1" to receive strap end S" and properly locate it in overlying aligned relation with strap end S'. l

As shown in Fig. l and later described in detail, there is provided a pair of shears in recess 22 adjacent foot l5. When it is desired to apply a strap to the article. or box to be bound, the strap is passed around the box and the free endS' of' the strap is slid forwardly between dog` |6 and foot |5, beneath the shears, and across the recess 22, and into supported abutting relation with the shoulder 23', an operation which can very quickly be carried out with the assurance that the ystrap is in the right position. It will be` understood that this strap end is now supported by the feet I5 and 23. Theupper strap portion S" is slid. laterally and somewhat rearwardly between dog 24 arid foot 26 until it engages in the channel 2|abetween the lip 2| and shoulder 2|". It is then inserted between the shears and engaged in the channel l1" in the upper surface of the flange l1. It is also inserted between a boss or frame projection 21 and dog 28 cooperating with dog 24, as will be later described. It will now be seen that the strap portion S is in proper superimposed relatlon to strap end S owing to the fact that the strap portion S engages in the channels.

Dog 2B is pivotally supported at its upper end on a shaft 29 and has a toothed portion at its lower end overlying projection 21 and `adapted to enter into strap grippingY engagement. This dog is angularly disposed generally similarly to dog 24, and the strap supporting projection 21 is preferably located rearwardly and slightly above channel of dog I6. A spring 28 suitably mounted on the end of a stud 2B" in the frame resiliently engages dog 28 to urge it into strap gripping position. Dog 28 cooperates with dog 24 in the capacity of a ratchet to prevent release of previous takeup made on strap portion S" by the movement of head 2|. When the tension lever IIiis swung upwardly to move dog 24 away from dog |6,`the previously accumulated tension on strap end S is maintained by dog 2B, and the dog 24 and foot 26 slidably engage the strap. Similarly, during the following downward movement of lever dog 24 again grips the strap end S" to provide further tensioning of the strap which now freely slides towards the rear of the tool between dog 23 and projection 2l. Hence, the tension lever may be oscillated through a relatively slight angular movement to rapidly tighten the strap to desired tension.

The head 2| is slidable in a recess 3|) in the forward endof the frame, and a reduced forward end of a tension rod 3| is rigidly secured to thehead by a nut 3|. This rod is slidably received in a bore 32 in the frame ending in a recess 32 atthe rearward end'of the frame. The rearward end of the tension rod has a reduced portion 3|" slidably extending through a bore in a plunger 33 mounted for longitudinal slidable movementin recess 32' and prevented from rotation by a key 33 received within a key` slot in the frame I0. A coiled spring 34 is mounted over the extended end 3|" of the tension rod and is compressed betweenlthe outer end ofplunger 33 and an adjustment screw 34 threaded in the end of the tension rod. Spring 34, which normally maintains the inner end of plunger 33 abutting against a shoulder 33" at the inner end of reduced portion 3|.", serves to prevent exces sive'strap tensioning which may result in strap breakage, as will be later described. As the tensioning lever ||`is moved ,to its nal downward position shown in Figs. 8 and 9, plunger 33 is shifted slightly away from shoulder 33" further compressing spring 34 which now aids in securing lever inits bottom position, as will be later described.

The tension lever is journalled at its inner end upon a short shaft 36 having flattened outer ends 36 slidably and non-rotatably received in slots in the frame, one of which is shown at 3`| and the other of which lies above a cut away portion 3|a of rod 3|. The operative end of the tension lever is formed as a gear segment 33 enmeshed with a rack 40 rigidly secured to the frame, as by rivets;

so that movementl of leve II results in a sliding 'P movement of shaft 36 within its supporting slots. A link 4I received atfits forward endwithln a recess-39 of' gear segment v39 has a laterally projecting pivot'I journalled inay bore in said recess located I"slightly rearwardly of yshaft 36; 'The linkv has a laterally projecting pivot 4I" at `its rearward end journalled'within a. bore in the Aforrward end of. plunger 33.' A shoulder 39",- at the top of recess 39 is arrangedtoenter into abutting engagement with top of link-4I to limit the link movement inone direction and hold the link in a position just past dead center.

gripping dogsas shownin Fig. 1, a downward movement of the tension lever'II will serve to` move` dog 24and strap end S" towards strap end Y ent invention is very simple in `construction and its extreme `rearward and` bottom position; the" light in weight, the same com'prisinga relatively` few number of parts which may be `easily made and assembled. The mechanism is very' effective in that the slack in the strap may` be taken up very quickly andthe strap may be placed'under considerable tension withoutreq'uiring 'any con.- siderable eiort on thev part of the'operator. During the major portion-ofthe downward. operative-movement of the tensioninglever I I, the

shaft 36 moves rearwardly due to the enmeshed engagement of the 'gear segment 3)` with the fixed rack'l During this movement, there is s uici ent leverage present to 'place the 'strap underfconsiderable tension. As` thejtensioning lever ap-"` preaches the end ofits operative' stroke, the 'toggle comprising vthe link 4I andthat portion of -the operating lever between the shaft 36 and thefpivot 4 If" straight linef'passing through the centersof pivots 36 and`4 I "f-and, therefore, the energy exerted by the operator in moving the lever is greatlymulti--.

plied so` that" tremendous power is hadwith slight effort during the'nal portion of the tensioning operation) As theoperating handle is brought to pivot 4I "passesy through dead center tothe posi v tion shown in Figi 8, with the result thattheparts are thus automatically lockedin this posit-ion; it being observed" that the' tension of thepst'rap tends to move the V'plunger' 32: forwardlyand the line of thrust through the link 4I is between theiaXis of the tensioning ylever VII and the' rackv40. The

segment cannot move forwardly because of "its meshing engagementwith the rack, andthe leverv II is held in its rearmost .position'd'ue to'theenfgagement of the shoulder`f39'f against the"linl: 4fI'.` During the final movement of lever vI vI to its bot tom position, plunger 33 slides away fromjshoiilder 33 to the position of` Figs. 8, 9, and 172.:At this` time, Apivotx4l isr beneathdead' center, andv the compression of spring 34 now urges shoulder 39 tightly against link 4I to lock lever IVI inteni Hence, when a strap has been positioned between the :strap straightens out-that is; approachesua /sioned position., It will further be observed that with the arrangement described the strap, after itghas been manually ,drawn aboutmost boxes-to suicient extent,` may be tensioned with but one stroke of the tensioning lever, but if it is found in some instancesthat the strap is not under. sum-- cient tension, 4the lever may bey oscillatcd. for' A wardly and babkwa'rdlyfslightly until the slacklisproperly taken` up. f A s" previously stated.. the 'spring .E 3 4 'seri/BS' to prvent'feicessive tensioning of` the. strap andbreaking..thereof as well iasino lockthe operating lever I l in tensioned position. VThe sealing mechanis'mfofgm'y invention includesa sealing heador housing .50 ada'pt ed:tol be moved bysealing'flver IZfrorn, the initial inoperative position of lFig. 1, whereinit receives `the lowermostseal member X. from .a' stackf. of seal.

member'sjwithinmargazine I3, tothesealing 'pqgp tion wit hir 1"recess. r 22 shownin Eig. 4h. ,'I'he housing 5I),- whiclrrnayr "comprise ."a castinglorother suitably formed member, is provided with`a rearp wardly'- extending arm 5`I having apairofspaced bosses 52 and 53 journalled upon shaft 2 9,` Alug 54' on the rearward portion ofthe `arm4 hasan ad;-

justment screw y5,5"threa'ded.therethrough and engageable with a Vface SSVOnthefra-me toadjust the 'sealing mechanismhin a positionztol receive a seal'blank, as will be later described. A nut, 5 5

locks the screwv in.posi tion. The. forwardport'ion ofthe housing hasa curvedwallSllf. .y

The `sealing mechanis'm'lisgenerally, simila'rxto that shown in Lthej priorpatent toWebs'terllyo. v

provioeawith o bore 56s1i`dob1y-rooeivig oxoyim, drical rack bar Slepivotallyconnected ati 'lower end, as by a pairA of togglmembersf, .tofapa'ir' oifsealing'jaws ,59ffpivoted tothe housing .50, on

shaftsi59. anvil 60, is supportedfona trans.-

'verse wall G .Ifat the 'b'otto'm of the housing, .as

shown in` Fig.' 10. The jaws are provided at theirn lowerinner. ends with seal crimpingv recesses 59 ';f,

and the anvil basa plurality of 'downwardly ex-A 1 tending protruding Ateeth cooperatingftherewith. to indentthe. Seal memberandldeform it into 'tight nterlocked relationship With the overlapped strap portions S and S inthe same'g'eneral.manner as described in the above-notedi'Webster. patent, The'bottom of housing alsohas a'pair of spring seal supports62 partially surrounding -j'aws59and` provided .with opposed .bottom anges 6 2 'g and vend nanges 62"; forf supporting.\ andlocatingfa .seal member'X between ja'wsfil'prior'to` jselalinvgiop; eration,I` 1. .5

end to. ai projecting .portion .o f tri' base am :pron e,

vided with an upwardly extending-V-shaped poi'-,

tion 63.', at itsvother end adapted tofresilient-,lyen- 1 'Y gagel against the'l'ower V-shapedendtff of a studi 64 .projecting downwardly. frornL-,bossf5 3. The studv 6 4 ris, 's opositionod in .bosssa' that o /jh'on th'ofy housing' sois in its uppermost positiooptheonaea o f stud`6.4 lies to. the left; ofthe Vishvapedfjendg sa? of rhesor'mgts, when "tnolhousing jijs moi/odi;

downwardly as'willbe hereinafter, describe`d',"t h`e stud 64 rides over the V-shapedend 6.3' offspring;

s3, foroing it @oww/army, and as the housing is raisedY it will ride`over the spring .in the reverse;

direction 'and come .to vrest in the positions'h'own'. Whenso positioned, the. stud asndspririgtend to. serve fas ,ar latch, preventing Vth'e'lfio'tsing Bitti-om lowering of its kown weight and requiring .the`

initialzrieosiog vof the stud" 6.4i. from' l nehme briefl Spring 63y b'efOrle further"iovementfthereof {can` be madebythelever I2."

of sealing lever I2, housing 60,' which has previously received a seal member X'on the seal supports 62, is first swung downwardlyabout shaft 29 to the position of Fig. 9. The `sealing lever I2is bifurcated at its forward `end and terminates in bosses I2' and I2 having aligned bores I2a through which passes `a sealingflever bolt65 havingl a head 65V at one end anda threaded portion at the other end receiving a nut 65" Asbest illustrated in Figs. 11 and 11a, agear segment 66 mounted on the bolt adjacent its head is counterbored in its outerface to receive a portionof the head 65 and provided on its inner face with a laterally protruding portion, 66' received Within a transversely extending slot 68 of liossfIT` so that the gear segment is angularly fixed with respect to the sealing lever and constrained to rotate with it'. The bolt is angularly positioned re1- ative to segment 68 as by a pin 61. i 'I'he inner end of thesegment is formed as a sleeve 69 projecting from protruding portion 68 and received in bore I2a of boss I2"` A sleeve 10 also slidably receiving bolt 65 is itself vslidably received in the bore I2a through boss I2', and the outer end of sleeve 16 terminates in a T-shaped head 16' received within a transversely extending slot 10" of boss l2'. The inner ends of sleeves 69 and 10 have opposed lateral protruding portions 1I respectively received within corresponding recesses1l of a mutilated pinion 12 slidablymounted on bolt 65 between the sleeves.l It will thus be evident that an interlocked relationship exists between the bolt 65, sleeves 69, 1li, pinion 12, and gear segment 68 with the sealing lever I2, and these parts are tightly clamped in their respective positions. Pinion 12 is in the form of a mutilated gear hav-. ing a plurality of teeth 12"` extending partially around its periphery and a curved wall 12 forming the remaining portion thereof.` The pinion 12 is adapted to operatively engage rack 51 only during a portion ofthe movement of sealing lever I2 as will be later described, the peripheral wall portion 12 being of such diameter that it underlies the bottom tooth of rack 51 when same is in raisedposition, thusrserving to maintain it in said position. Y

BoltV head 65' is of a somewhat stepped form and cut away atlits outer end, as best illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, andv 11a, to provide a laterally extending sector portion 66 projecting from the outer face of the gear segment. ,This sector has a pair of angularly disposed faces 13 and 13 extending fromthe axis of the bolt and a parti-cylindrical face 13". l Y

At the start of the sealing lever movement, 4the lever` i2 is substantially horizontal, as shown in Figs. l, 2, andr, the bolt 65 having been rotated 'to rotate the mutilated pinion 12 to the position shown in Fig. l.V wherein the peripheral wall 12' thereof abuts the rack at the point 51' underlying, the lowermost tooth of the rack. thus maintaining the rack 51 in its uppermost'position. The gear segment 68 located on the end of the bolt 65 is located in the position shown in Figs. 2 andl 8 and is in mesh with a xed gear segment 15 secured assume a swingingrnovement withtlie housing 66. d 1

Gear segment 66 has a lower curved end wall 1l concentric with the axis of' bolt 65 and having the same radius of curvature as end wall 16".. 'Ihe locking plate 11 is furtherprovided with a slotted portion 11' `(Fig. 8)*which is arcuately Adisposed 5 about the axis of the shaft 26` and merges with the bore 16. The housing is so adjusted through the adjusting bolt that a portion of the sector 66 is positioned within the slotted portion 11.4

VUpon* movement of the sealing lever upwardly from the position of Fig. 8, the face 13 of the sector 66 will engage the face of the bore 11', preventing any substantial rotation of the bolt` 66, and, upon upward movement of the lever I2, the housing will pivot therewith as a unit about the bolt 29 due to the engagement of gear teeth 16 of gear segment. with teeth 16' of the fixed segment 16. As the movement ofthe lever I2 continues upwardly, the sector 66 -will continue to move downwardly through slot 11' until itis positioned within the bore `16, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8 and fulllines in Fig. 9. Any slight rotation of bolt which occurs during the raising of the lever I2 is insufficient to rotate the mutilated segment f12 to bring theV teeth 12 into engagement with the rack 51. However, with the sector 66 seated in bore 16, further movement of the lever I2 will cause the cylindrical face 13" of sector 66 to rotate across and out of alignment with slot` 11", thus rotatably locking `head 65' within the bore. and, as further downward movement of sector 66 is prevented, the housing 56 will remain stationary. 'I'he rotation of the sector 66 and bolt 65 will now cause rotation of the mutilated`pinion 12, bringing the teeth 12' thereof into 35 during the return movement of sealing lever I2 from its `forward kor sealing position to the position,y shown in Fig. 9 to open `the jaws 69, sector 66 will be rotatably lockedwithin bore 16 until the face13' is again located adjacent the upper face of slot 11'. During the reverse rotation of sector 66 within bore 16, the teeth 12" will again move the head 51.to its uppermost position and the'peripheral shoulder ,12'` will be positioned against the surface 51'v of bolt 51. Upon further movement, the housing and bolt will now move as a unit, and, as sector'66 is aligned with slot 11, they will pivot about the bolt 26, lifting the housing out of seal- 5. inglposition. It will thus be evident that the sector 66 can only move through slot 11' when it is in one of the two initial positions `shown inFigs. 8 and 9. Consequently. the gear teeth of mutilated pinion 12 engage the teeth of 'bolt 51 only when the sector 66 is rotatable in bore 11 and the gear teeth of segment 66 will enter into and out of enmeshed relation with the teethon fixed segment 15 `only whenlthe parts are in predetermined angular positions relativeto slot 11', and there is no possibility of jamming the mechanism or of operating thesealing jaws 59 when head 65' is out of journalied relation with bore 16, nor is there any possibility of an upward swinging movement of housing` 50`about shaft 29 until the sealingjaws have been Vfully opened to the position indicated in Fig.l0`. ,d l, Strap end S", which extends rearwardly beyond sealing position, is cut of! by a pair of shears during the downward movement of the sealing of recess 22 is located just forwardly of and above \mechanism just before the housing 50 reachesits wardly by aweight member which willbe later lowermost or sealing position so that the sealing operation occurs immediately after the strap has been cut off and while the housing is pressing the overlying strap ends together. A bottom shear 19 supported on a shoulder 19 in the rearward end lfoot l5 so that strap end S' may pass freelybetween the foot and shear. This bottom shear is rigidly held in position by a sleeve extending through a bore 80' in the 4frame'from a counterbore 00" and having a threaded end screwed within theshear and a head seated within the shear to cut off s'trap'end S" passing therebetween. The rearward end of shaft 82` is 'threaded to receive a pair of nuts yand 86 locked against each other to secure the movable jaw 84 in position, and a coiled torsion spring 81 has protruding ends respectively received within the fixed head of sleeve 80 and in nut 88 so that a resilient upward movement will be imparted to the upper `sliear'84 tending to maintain it open; It will be appreciated, of course, that adjustment of lock nuts`85 and 86 on shaft 82 will serve to adjust this resilient upward movement of shear 84 after sharpening the shears. Y

The lower portion of housing 50 has a krearwardly disposed shoulder 84 engageable. with shear 84 to move it downwardly and cut off the unused portion of strap end S" justprior 4to 'the time when the housing reaches' its final downward and sealing" position and before a sealing operation; This cutting off of the strap occurs just prior to the seating of bolt head B5' within bore 16. Further upward movementrof the sealing lever at this time shifts'housing`50 to its final sealing position as limited by the vseating of bolt head 65' within bore 16, after which the ensuing upward movement `of lever I2 causesa rotation of pinion 12 about its axis to move into engagement with rthe rack 51 and shift the rack downwardly within bore 58 and shift jaws 59 to the dot-dash position of FigflO, causing a sealing operation on a seal member between the jaws. A

The magazine I3 comprises a rectangular open ended box-like structure secured to and'angularl'y extending upwardly fromA frame I0 and having opposed side Walls 81 and 81 'interconnected by a rear wall 88. A convenient handle |3"may'be provided at thel top ofthe magazine to aid in carrying the tool. The forward` portion of the side walls are bent over into a pair of opposed spaced lips 89between which .access may be had to a stack of seal members X within the magazine. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a pair of brackets 90 secured tothe bottom of the sidewalls have inwardly protruding opposed flanges 90', and a seal feeding member 9| has opposed grooves 9|' "respectively receiving the ends ofthese flanges to slidably,v support the seal feeding member.' A

stack of. seal members X is piled in superimposedv fit within the lowermost seal member in the magezine. These seal members are urged downacrossl which extendsf a pin 93. An `operating lever 94 ypivotally 4mounted atfits upper end .on a

screw 95pm sidewall 81 has a curvedlowerend 96v extended beneath .fthe magazine and bentback upwardly into a forked portion-,96' receiving 4pin 93. A swinging movement of lever 94 results in a corresponding sliding movement of member 9| on supporting flanges .on members 90. A spring91 supported on a screw Y95 is resiliently engaged betweena' stud 9B-in magazine wall 81 and lever` 94 to urge the lever towards .housing 50 to thefull line vposition illustrated in Figs. land 4, and a pin 94' projecting from wall 81-limitsthe extent `of lever movement in thisdirection'. l' v The lowermost seal member Xin the magazine is automatically fed from the bottom of the stack ofsealmeinlcers onto the seal supports 62,'and between the open sealing jaws 59 just as housing I50 'reaches its top inoperative position after a sealing operation. The upper end face of rack bar 51y has a recessf|00 in the general form ofa slop ing stepped slot terminating at its inner end in a rounded face |00'. This recess is arranged to receive a rounded end |0| of a lever |0| pivoted, as

yby a pin |02, to arm 94 near its upper end., A

spring |03'mounted on stud 98 is'resiliently enside wall 81 to urge lever '|0| downwardlyto its bottom position againststud |03f.- y l A sv illustrated inFig.v 4, at the completion of a sealing operationwhile the sealing jaws 59 are still closed, lever 94 rests against pin 94' and lever |0| is`in1its bottom position against pin |03'. At this' time; the bottom rounded end |0| of lever |0| isloca't'ed directly aboveslot |00, and asfth'e sealing lever is moved upwardly' and rearwardly,

gear 12 is rotated to move rack bar 51'upwardl'y in thesealing head and tobring slot |00 intoen'- gagement with the'lower end of lever |0|. .y During the ensuing upwardmov'ement of housing 50,f the rounded end l| 0 is seated` within the rounded end |00"of the recess and an' outward thrust Visv exerted against lever |0|, moving lever 94 away magazine. The stack of Sealmembers is: then freeto move downwardly until the lowermost seal from the housing and past the dot-dash position memberis supported onthe opposed vflanges 90' and inV front of feeding member 9|.v 'As the heus.- ing 50 and rack` 51 continue their upward move- -ment,lever 94, underl influence' of spring 91. and control of lever |0|', is moved through afsli'ght distance to the dot-dash position 94a, thus'sliding the lowermost seal member'partially out from beneath the stack and towards the housing. y This lowermost seal member cannot interfere with the movement 0f housing 50'at'this time since it is limited in its downward sliding movement towards the housingby the rounded face 50.

When the housing nearlyr'eaches its'upper inoperative position, the'bottom of slotv |00 engages lever' |0|, in the dot-dash position of Fig. 4, and v camsthe rounded end of thisv lever out of lits seated position just as the housing reaches Yits topmost position (Fig. 1). ,When lever |0| has'been eammed out 'of its seat, spring 91 immediately acts on lever 94 to quickly drive thelowermost seal member onto the sealy supports 62 where it is located by the flanges 6'2".' Lever |0| at this time assumes' the position fshown in Figi and slidably engages the top of rack bar 51. The topmost position of the housing movement may be regulated by means -of adjustment screw 55 within boss M so that at the time a sealing blank is fed onto the l seal supports 62, ilanges 62 will lie in alignment with the supporting anges 9U' of brackets 90.

Slot and lever IUI are so located with reference to each other that during the following downward movement of the sealing mechanism to a sealing position the rounded end IBI will not drop into engagement within the 'slot' until rack I1 has been moved downwardly and almost to its completed sealing position to bend the seal member already between theA jaws substantially to its final form so that when the jaws are opened the seal may fall between flanges 62 and'out of supported position. Consequently, if "the 'sealing lever should be moved through apartial stroke and then returned to its initial position at the start of a sealing operation, lever IUI would not be received within slot |00 and no feeding operation would be imparted to lever 94 tending to feed a second seal member onto the seal supports 62 while a seal member is already thereon and causing a jamming of the sealing mechanism.v

I'he feeding of the seal members downwardly in the magazine is aided by a weight lll resting on the topmost seal member and generally comprising a metal block of suiiicient weight to aid the downward feed of the seal members and having a clutch frictionally'locking against the 'rear wall of the magazine to prevent upward movement of the seal members.` This block has an outwardly protruding handle III and a pivoted lever H2 mounted upon a pin IIS within a slot Il lfor movement relative tothe handle. The forward end of lever H2 yengages a spring pressed ball clutch suitably received within a recess in the block and normally urged into wedging engagement with the rear wall of themagazine. The clutching action of this ball normally permits free slidable downward movement of the block but prevents upward movement'of the stack of seal members except when the ball is declutched from magazine engagement by movement of lever IIZ towards handle lll. y

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingr drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Y y

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims isV intended to cover all of the generic and specic features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of4 the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to rfall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a box strapping tool, a base, a sealing mechanism including a housing pivotally mounted on the base, a pair of sealing jaws relatively movable within the housing forvperforrning a sealing operation, means to operate the jaws, `and seal receiving members on the housing respectively overlying said jaws and having locating flanges for supporting and positioningV a seal member between the jaws prior to a sealing operation, a magazine, and means operated by said jaw operating means for feeding a seal from said magazine onto said seal ,receiving members.

2. In a box strapping tool, a frame, sealing means including a housing, a pivot supporting said housing on the frame for movement into and out of an operative position, sealing members carried by the housing, a sealing lever for shifting the housing into and out of operating position and for `operating the sealing members, and means engageable between the frame and said lever for initially locking the housing and lever for simultaneous pivoting about the housing pivot to move the housing to sealing position and thereafter releasing the lever for operation of the sealing jaws. g

3. In a' box e strapping tool, a frame, sealing means including a housing supported on the frame for movement into, and outof a sealing position, sealing members carriedv by said housing, a pivot extending through said housing, a sealing lever mounted on said pivot for moving the housing into and outof sealing position and for operating said, sealing members, and means von the frame engageable'with said pivot for locking the housing in sealing position during a sealing operation.

4. In a box strapping tool, a frame, sealing means including a housing, vmeans pivotally securing the housing to the frame for movement into vand out of an operative position, a pair of sealing jaws movable on said housing, a sealing lever, a bolt pivotally securing said lever to the housing and constrained to rotate with said lever, means carried by said bolt andoperatively connecting the lever to said jaws when said lever is moved about the axis of the bolt, andinterengaging means between the lever and the frame causing the initial movement of the lever to swing the housing into a sealing position, after which the lever swings about the axis of the bolt to operate the jaws. y

5. In a box strappingtool,` a frame, sealing means including a housing supported for swinging movement into and out of operative position, sealing members movably carried by said housing, a bolt rotatable in the housing, a sealing lever secured to saidlbolt, operative` connections between the bolt and the `sealing members, a fixed gear segment on the frame, a gear segment secured to the lever for rolling engagement with the fixed segment, said segments Abeing enmeshed only whilethe housing is located out of operative position, and interengaging means between the bolt and the frame causing the initial operative movement of the lever to swing the housing to a sealing position and lock it in said position, after which further movementfof the lever rotates the bolt to operate the seallngmembers.

6. In a box strapping tool, a frame, sealing means including a housing pivoted to the frame for` swinging'movement to and from an operative position and having sealing members thereon, a bolt rotatable in the housing and having a laterally projecting sector-shaped head, means rotatably connecting the bolt to the sealing members, a sealing lever secured to said bolt, a gear segment iixed on the frame, a gear segment fastened to the lever and enmeshed with said fixed segment,l said segments disengaging from enmeshed relation when the housing reaches an operative position, and a locking plate secured to the frame andprovided with a cylindrical recess for rotatably receiving the sector and having an open ended slot connecting with said recess for slidably and non-rotatably receiving said sector during the swinging movement, said sector rotatably seating in the recess and locking the housing in position during operation of the sealing members.

` 2,21`8,028 7. In a box strapping tool, a frame having a Y flat bottom surface, sealing mechanism including a housing carried by the frame for movement; into and outpf. operating position, a single lever for moving said housing into and out of operating position, a magazine carried by the frame for supporting a stack of seal members in alignment with said housing when in inoperative position, means for feeding seals from said magazine, said means lying rinthe Vpath of movement of said sealing vmeans and operated in response to the movement of the sealing'mechanism out of operating position for individually feeding said members tor the sealing means. l

8. In a box strapping tool, a frame having a at bottom surface, sealing means carried by the frameand including a housing movable into and out of operative position, sealing jaws carried by the housing, a single lever for swinging the housing into and out of operative position, and an operative connection between the lever and the jaws for operating the.V latter after the housing has been brought to operative position; a magazine mounted on the frame and arranged to support a stack of seal members in alignment With said sealing jaws when in inoperative position, a feeding member for moving the seal members one by one from the magazine to a position between the jaws, and means lying in the pathof and controlled by the movement of the sealing means for operating said feeding member to feed a seal member to a position between the jaws when the sealing means is moved to inoperative position.r

9. In a box strapping tool, a frame, sealing means including a housing movable into and out of operative sealing vposition and having movable jaws thereon, a rack movable in said housing and operatively connected to said jaws, a lever for shifting the housing into and out ofv operative position and for operating the rack, a magazine mounted on the frame and arranged to support a stack of seal members, a feeding member movable beneath the magazine towards and from the housing,vthe lowermost seal member of said stack being slidably engaged by and supported by said feeding member, and means operatively engaged by the rack after a sealing operation to withdraw the feeding member from beneath the lowermost seal member'and feed the seal member between said jaws.

10. In a box strapping tool, a frame, sealing means carried thereby and including a housing arranged for swinging movement on the frame into and out of operative position, sealing jaws carried by the housing, a rack in the housing and operatively associated with said jaws, andI a lever for swinging the housing into and out of operative position and for operating the rack; a magazine mounted on the frame and arranged to support a stack of sealing members, a seal feeding member arranged to feed the lowermost sealing member of the stack to a .position between said jaws, and means controlled by the rack for operating said feeding member when the sealing means is raised to inoperative position.

11. In a box strapping tool, a frame, sealing means thereon including a' housing movable into and out of operative position, sealing jaws carried by the housing, a lever for moving the housing, and connections between the lever and jaws arranged for operating the latter only when the housing is in operating position; a magazine for supporting a stack of sealing members, a feeding member' for moving the lowermost seal member from the stack to a position between the jaws whenthe housing is moved toinoperative position, andan operative connection between said sealing meansand feeding member lpreventing operation of the feeding member until after the precedingly fed seal member has been partially deformed by the jaws causingfthe lowermost seal to be fed to the sealing jaws when the sealing means is raised to inoperative position.

l2. In a box strapping tool, a frame, a housing supported on the frame'for swinging-.movement into and out of operative position, jaws 'on thev housing, arack slidable in the housing and operatively connected to said jaws and having a depressed seat in its outer end, means to shift the housing to and from operative position and-to operate the rack, a magazine on the frame for holding a stack of seal members, a feeding mernf ber beneath the magazine arranged for move-v ment towards and from lthe housing and supporting the lowermost seal member, a spring pressed arm engaging the feeding member and normally urging it towards the housing and `beneath the stack of seal members, a lever pivoted to and normally urged towards the arm, said lever having an outer end arranged to be initially received within said seat only at the start of the outward movementof the housing which thereafter serves to shift the feeding member. away from the housing and out from under the lowermost seal member, and means camming the lever out of said seat when the rack reaches a predetermined position during-the outward movement of the housing whereby the feeding member. will move said seal member between the jaws. l

13. In a box strapping tool, a frame, a housing pivotally mounted on the frame, sealing members `carried by said housing, a sealing lever,.a pivot pivotally mounting the lever on the housing', said pivot having operative connections with said sealn ingmembers, and means engageable between the frame and-said pivot locking said lever against rotation until said housing has been pivoted to,

place said sealing members in operative position.

14. In a box strapping tool, a frame, a magal zine for carrying a plurality of seals supported above said frame, a sealing device pivotally mounted on the frame and normally in alignment with said magazine, a single lever movable in one direction `to move said sealing device from a posi-v tion in alignment with said magazine to a sealing position, and in another direction to move said sealingnmember back into alignment with said magazine, and means for feeding a seal from said magazine to said sealingmeans, said means lying in the path of movement ofthe sealing means and operated upon movement of thelsealing means to an operative position to feed a seal thereto. j

' 15. In a box strapping tool, a frame having a flat bottom surface, sealing meanssupported by the frame for movement into and out of an operative position, a single lever for operating the sealing means, a magazine carried onthe upper surface of the frame and in alignment `with said HOWARD C. DOOLI'ITLE.

4sealing means when the latter is in inoperative 'IoA 

